Suzy Menkes

#SuzyPFW: Art’s at the Heart of Yudashkin

The father and daughter design duo find inspiration in artist Kazimir Malevich

"For the special colours – black, white, yellow and green – the inspiration was Malevich," Valentin Yudashkin said, referring to the Russian painter of abstract, geometric patterns in the post-revolutionary period.

"There are many prints, but simple silhouettes – it’s a very bright collection," added Galina Yudashkin, who has brought a more pared-down and streamlined look to her father’s aesthetic.

As his daughter said, the fresh yellow, red and green – especially in stripes on white dresses – gave the Spring/Summer 2018 collection the freshness of a Russian spring after a long, deep winter.

The show opened with white and then beige tones for casual sportswear, with floppy straw hats as a hint of an earlier century. The yellow colour burst through like a ray of sunshine in a short skirt and sporty top or wrap coat. Flat beach shoes in red and yellow hinted at the Russian art story, too.

Full-blown colour appeared in the Malevich-esque blocks and lines that were at their most dramatic as a long dress with horizontal strips of red, black, green, blue, and yellow, all resembling blurry brush strokes crossing a slim white dress.

Maybe a change of pace, or perhaps the influence of his daughter, has brought more dynamism and a different attitude to the Yudashkin collections, with the models striding out purposefully in their bright outfits.

But like a good artist, the Russian design duo seemed to understand just how much colourful geometry would work in a modern woman’s wardrobe. The fact that the show opened and ended with pure white, based this artistic collection in reality.